Containment Failure
by Over Worked Witch
Summary: A drunken Rachel and an active cell phone could create havoc in the life of any vampire, but for Ivy Tamwood it means trying to keep her fangs to herself when a handsy redhead won't leave well enough alone. A three chapter story revolving entirely around a Ravy pairing brought on by too much alcohol and because Ivy is hot. Mostly fluff. Touches of angsty drama every now and then.
1. Chapter 1

Hello once again to the Hollows fandom. I have had this story around for a while and will see to it being completed in the next week or so. I have three chapters completely planned and largely written out. This is a pure relationship piece about Ravy set some time after APB. I make no claim to a plot, or particularly following canon, so if you want such a story you'll have to look elsewhere. For everyone else I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and just so were clear, I asked for Kim Harrison's Hollows as a recent birthday gift and all I got was some hard copies of the books, not the property rights, so I don't own any of the characters.

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Rachel stood up from the kitchen island, running her fingers along the smooth surface that told her she was where she belonged. Ivy though wasn't with her. In fact the vampire had been gone from the church for two hours already and for Rachel that was two hours too long.

It hadn't seemed like a big deal, but somewhere along her fourth glass of wine Rachel had come to realize it wasn't right for Ivy to be at Rynn's when she belonged in the church. Any attempt she made to call the private company Ivy had hired a driver from had been thwarted though by the duo of Wolfie and Bug Man. Stupid men kept taking things from her.

First Rynn took Ivy, then Wayde took her wine and finally Jenks took the damn page with the number she needed to call. None of them understood. Rachel needed to tell the driver to bring Ivy back home unless they wanted to end up in the Ever After and with Rynn, well if she beat one master vampire unconscious she could do it again. Even after explaining that plan to the two assholes in her kitchen they still wouldn't let her have the stuff back.

At least they had left though. It had taken some poorly aimed swats at the pixie and a threat to see if Wayde's chest hair would respond to a ley line spell Ceri had taught her that had a tendency to light things on fire to get them to leave. Her bodyguard had departed to find some drunken company who liked his chest hair just the way it was and Jenks had gone to take a nap, but not before leaving his two oldest sons, along with Bis, on perimeter duty with strict orders she wasn't allowed to leave.

Fortunately they had left her cell phone still on her. Clearly the marvelous duo were not the wonder team they believed themselves to be and a few button presses later a phone somewhere else in the city was ringing.

This was a better plan anyway. Some stupid driver probably wouldn't appreciate how import her cause was. Admittedly, getting drunk and questioning the receptionists at the various limo companies in the city about why they took her Ivy away wasn't the most shining examples of intelligent thought, but it was really Jenks's fault to start with. It wasn't until after she opened a bottle of wine, with some maple syrup for the pixie, that the tiny man insisted she talk to Ivy about whatever was going on. The insistence had been very clear on the point she should do it as soon as she saw Ivy again, but then he got screechy when she went to bring Ivy home.

"Rachel, what's going on? Are you hurt?" Ivy had found herself staring at her cell in the previous seconds, annoyed as to why Rachel was calling her when the witch knew she was at Rynn's and making every effort to keep the witch from peaking any other vampire's interest.

"Nope, I'm drunk." The hours in between Ivy's departure and that moment had allowed plenty of time for her to settle on an opening line of seduction. That hadn't been the one she had decided to go with. Then again, she hadn't expected to be greeted by a grouchy vampire either.

Ivy was at a fancy party. Didn't vampire parties serve alcohol? She had expected Ivy to sound relaxed and happy after all Jenks and Wade had to say on the matter. Yet Rachel couldn't help but feel smug over Ivy's annoyance as it proved she was right and they had taken Ivy where she didn't want to go.

"Ok, we'll tell Wayde to make you some coffee." Ivy could feel her heart in her throat as the witch's explanation rang in her ears. Rachel and alcohol were a combination that had tested her resolve to keep certain boundaries between them a few times during their partnership and never had she walked away feeling like she had succeeded.

"Coffee sounds good, but Wayde left. He wasn't very happy after I told him my mom would never let me have a puppy growing up. Then I threatened to light his hair on fire he got all growly and left." Coffee did sound good. Some mornings she would be up before the vampire and get to watch Ivy, just looking at her as the vamp stood there for a few moments drinking the warm caffeine. Ivy rarely changed into clothes that early, sometimes not even bothering with tying up her short robe, leaving plenty of the woman on display for her to admire.

Placing her fingers on the cold knob of the cupboard and pulling on the door, Rachel waited for it to open. Only it didn't. Pulling again, but with more force, she was met with the same resistance. She hadn't dealt with the bitchy duo just to stare at a stupid door all night why Ivy didn't respond. After the third round of yanking on the furniture that she was about to break the door finally opened and Rachel felt her feet slip before the floor suddenly came up to meet her.

"Rachel, what was that?" The uncharacteristically drunk witch was making her nervous and the image of Rachel stumbling around the kitchen didn't ease her concern any.

"Nothing Ivy. The stupid kitchen didn't want to give up its coffee."

"Okay. Why don't you heat some tea in the microwave instead then?" Ivy knew the answer before she asked. Rachel liked coffee even more than she did. Sparing one glance towards the crowded gathering that waited beyond the sound proof entryway and knew what she would have to do next. The stubborn witch would probably burn down the church if left unsupervised.

"No, I'll manage the coffee. I just got to find everything." It was oddly disappointing that Ivy had seemingly forgotten that she hated tea, but after Rachel found the coffee and started setting up the machine with her focus entirely on getting the caffeinated beverage made up.

"I thought you would say that." Not bothering to keep the last of their conversation private, Ivy stepped out of the room and to the walkway outside the front door. "Rachel I'll be home in twenty minutes. Why don't you go sit down in the living room and I'll make us some coffee when I get there?"

Almost nothing else would have let her leave with the respect of her family name untarnished, but when it came to Rachel there was little Rynn wouldn't agree to if he thought it would help develop their relationship. Having his support meant anyone not eager to end up an outcast simply smiled as she left the dwelling.

"You're coming home?" Ivy was coming home. That was good. Ivy could fix coffee like it was the easiest thing in the world. "Do you think after coffee I should take a shower? I'm not feeling so good."

Ivy couldn't have told someone what her own name was if they asked at that moment, let alone confirm if something was a good idea. Collecting her thoughts that didn't have to do with Rachel being naked and wet, Ivy managed to reach the valet and utter a request to the man standing outside it to call her driver. "We will figure out that after I get home Rachel, just go sit down for now."

"Okay. I'll leave the coffee pot on." Rachel hung up and left her phone on the counter. She had rescued Ivy. Rynn wouldn't dare question her because she knew things, or well she might learn them at some point anyway, and that was her bargaining chip. Now, she just had to wait. Instead of their couch though Rachel settled into the chair Ivy typically occupied when in the living room. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sit, but it smelled good and warmed up quickly.

Ivy simply slipped her phone away and stepped into the waiting limousine. She never saw the driver, nor did she give directions, but Rynn's people would have made sure there was no reason for either. The drive would be brief and if Rachel did as she told her for once the coffee maker would shut itself off after a couple of minutes without any damage to it or the church.

There was really no living with that woman when she got an idea stuck in her head, but living without her would be worse. Ivy considered that the witch had managed to run off a wolf bodyguard and exhaust a pixy with enough kids to start a really annoying orchestra in a matter of hours, yet accepted her offer of help without hardly a complaint. No one ever got anywhere with Rachel by insisting she do something. If that actually worked she would have had Rachel in bed years ago. "Idiots." She had to admit though she owed Jenks for keeping Rachel contained as long as she had.

Walking into the church and seeing Rachel smile at her from the couch made it all worth it though. "Someone looks happy." Getting only an enthusiastic nod in reply, Ivy had to laugh at the unabashed display. "I think we've got a couple of those muffins your mother sent if you want one."

After a few minutes of waiting in the chair Rachel had settled onto the couch as Ivy would want to sit down for coffee. "I don't want to say anything, but I could go definitely go for a bite." Rachel could almost feel the sudden shift in the room as heard Ivy suddenly go quiet and noticed Ivy's eyes had darkened some when she came back holding a tray. It was oddly satisfying to see the impression the remark made on Ivy and not having to hold back from enjoying that effect.

"The sugar and caffeine should help counter any grogginess from the alcohol, though if you feel a headache coming on let me know." Having quickly left the room, Ivy loaded a tray down with two cups of coffee and an excessive amount of snacks. After offering Rachel a mug and a muffin, Ivy did her best to distract herself from Rachel's unhindered scent by debating the scientific merits of trying to sober up a witch with coffee. It wasn't until said witch was lightly tugging on her arm, as if Rachel wanted her to sit on the couch, in the spot the woman had previously occupied, that she let herself truly look at Rachel. Trying to understand what game the witch was playing Ivy studied the witch, waiting for the redhead to flinch, except Rachel didn't finch and yet Ivy wasn't able stop staring.

"It's going to get cold Ivy."

"Probably."

Rachel didn't fight the smile that spread across her lips. Being the object of Ivy's intense interest again felt good. There had been glimpses of it since San Francisco, but not like before, not like she was witnessing now and with the neckline on the dress Ivy had on that wasn't all she was witness to. It felt so good that she actually got dizzy from the sensation.

Ivy watched as her witch's bright green eyes went unfocused for a few seconds before the haze passed. "Rachel, are you alright?"

"Great. Just need the room to stop spinning."

"It's probably from all the blood rushing to your head after you moved." The guilt that she had let any sort of harm come to Rachel, struck with a precision that could only come with practice.

Rachel just smiled at Ivy's remark before lightly pushing the woman's hair away from her intended target. Leaning forward Rachel inhaled the mixture of scents that had already left their presence on the vampire before moving closer to the exposed ear. "Do you remember before when you told me biting makes for great sex?"

Ivy found the very clever reply she had intended to offer about the witch's dumbfounded reaction to that statement lost when Rachel's teeth started working on her earlobe. The heat rising over her body quickly signaled an end to months of effort in keeping her interest in Rachel strictly to that of friendly. Even worse it had only taken a few minutes alone with the witch to destroy her self-control, but as she pressed into Rachel and the witch didn't pull back she couldn't be bothered to care at that moment.

Rachel slipped her hands around Ivy's waist sprawling them out to feel the muscles beneath the fabric of the dress tense in perfect alignment with her actions. She pulled ivy down towards the couch and as Ivy lay on top of her it sent a rush of heat over her. Her lips quickly went to work on the vampire, going from Ivy's ear to her eyebrows, intending to show her appreciation for the vampire's sexiness from her sexy eyes to sexy toes and everywhere in between. Unfortunately as she opened her eyes, mere centimeters from Ivy's lips, everything started moving.

Suddenly sitting up, Rachel found herself straddling Ivy, pressing her hips down against Ivy causing the vampire both to look upset and yet rather pleased at the change. Rachel watched the room, and Ivy, tilt to a 90 degree angle before almost immediately shifting back. The whole experience left her feeling rather like the first time she had gotten off a roller coaster, though in comparison the roller coaster had nothing on what the woman beneath her could do.

It was just too much. The alcohol was no longer cooperating and the constant spinning was going to make her sick. "Ivy, I don't feel well." She could have sworn she heard the gray silk voice of the vampire muttering something about every fucking time, but the harsh sound stopped as she leaned down to rest her head against Ivy's chest and the vampire soothed her by brushing her fingers through her hair.

"Dear heart did you eat something before embarking on this quest of yours to have a drinking contest with a wolf and a pixie?" Ivy spared a look towards the kitchen, knowing there was a jar with a freshly made batch of brimstone cookies simply sitting in there. The drug sobered most people up quickly enough and she had tested the effects on her witch to know it worked, but she also knew brimstone was an old and stubborn issue Rachel objected to passionately.

"It was on my list of things to do." Not enjoying the serious look she could feel vampire giving her, Rachel reached up and gently ran her fingertips along the woman's jawline. She needed to stop, Ivy had made it clear they were just going to be friends, yet her hands didn't stop touching. They had been so close before and that aura that blended with her own was already soothing her, but as usual the timing seemed to suck and she couldn't even keep her head up, let alone move close enough to kiss the woman.

Ivy let out an uneasy breath of relief. The witch was testing her instincts, even in her weakened state, and the slump of defeat as Rachel just laid against her put an end to those wonderful irritations. With some reluctance Ivy shifted Rachel until she had the woman settled more in arms instead of pressed against her body.

Checking the witch's pulse to make sure the witch wasn't in any immediate danger, Ivy felt satisfied after a minute that the woman was clearly drunk, but otherwise fine. Enjoying a few minutes of being able to simply care for Rachel in some small way, Ivy waited until the woman was almost asleep to interrupt the peaceful moment.

Picking the witch up off the couch, pausing only as Rachel adjusted to the movement, Ivy moved with the drunken witch towards the witch's bedroom. The door was fortunately ajar and the floor wasn't so cluttered that she actually got the woman to the bed without needing to kick anything along the way.

Unfortunately getting the witch on the bed didn't mean she could just leave the room. Whatever else happened between them, Ivy simply couldn't walk away and leave Rachel to pass out completely dressed, apparently including her boots, and without anything to sober up with.

Moving to the dresser that housed most of Rachel's wardrobe Ivy quickly found the security shirt the witch often wore. Stirring the woman from her liquor induced haze, Ivy waited until there was a sign of life before moving on towards the second stage of her plan. "Rachel, I need you to stay awake for just one minute. I'm going to help you change into something for bed, but you can't pass out before were finished."

"Mmph." Rachel was aware of the warning in some sense, but more interesting was the pleasant scent drifting across her bed and the tug on her foot. She could have lived without the irritating yanking keeping her awake, though the scent did seem to increase because of it and by the time the tugging stopped Rachel had started rubbing her thighs together.

Ivy felt truly paralyzed as Rachel squirmed around and seemed intent on turning the room into their tomb as all the oxygen seemed to be replaced by Rachel's need. "Rachel so help me if you don't stop moving around I'm going to shove enough brimstone in your mouth you'll be lit until New Year's." God she hoped she didn't have to do that.

"This bed sucks." Trying to keep still Rachel felt the urge to do something about how hot the room was and before she could consider that it wasn't a good idea she was off the bed and pulling her shirt off.

Ivy had no reaction to the sudden appearance of pale skin other than making an effort to keep her eyes from focusing on the red lace that she had seen on a few occasions before when the witch was running late and she let herself enjoy the witch's inability to get ready on time. No matter how appealing the sight of a half-naked witch was, Ivy calmly pushed Rachel back towards the mattress after the shirt was removed. She didn't need the witch risking a concussion by staying on her feet when she could barely keep her eyes open. Rachel's jeans had to come off as well, though in what fashion depended entirely on how cooperative Rachel was feeling. "Rachel, I need you to sit up again but slowly and don't try to stand. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah." Oddly enough, Ivy helping her like this wasn't that strange. Pain amulets didn't work if she moved around too much and over the years she had learned to accept Ivy wasn't going to molest her, which was sort of disappointing now.

Ivy did her best to keep her eyes behind Rachel and not on the woman as she readied the shirt. "You really don't think things through do you?" Pushing the security t-shirt over the fiery mane restored her witch to decency, but the jeans still needed to come off.

"That's you Ivy." Tugging at the words on the shirt Rachel smiled. Ivy's fingers on her skin felt incredible and that she was once again taking care of her had made her night, maybe even her week.

"What's that Rachel?" Ivy carried on stripping Rachel down to her matching underwear, a task the witch offered more hindrance with than help. Drunk, or stoned, Rachel had a tendency to ramble things that didn't make any immediate sense, but she had learned the witch was surprisingly lucid when answering questions.

"Security, you protect me even when I don't deserve it." She had accepted that a long time ago. Ivy would protect her stupid witchy ass no what matter. Jenks had given up on betting when Ivy would get tired of it and Rachel had grown to living in fear of the day that it did finally happen.

"Someone has to take care of you dear heart. Now, get some sleep." Rachel was likely to stay unconscious until the dehydration woke her up and Ivy needed some time to destroy as many memories of what had happened as possible. Tucking the witch in without attaching herself to those lips was not exactly an easy thing, but she settled for placing a kiss on her forehead and left the room instead of climbing into the bed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dad, she's waking up!"

Rachel woke to the rather irritating sound of a hovering pixy, one that had interrupted an enjoyable dream. Slowly opening her eyes she got a quick look at a pattern of pixy dust and regretted her choice not to ignore the sound when she had the chance. Readying herself for what would hopefully be brief conversation Rachel checked her phone for missed calls and pressed back into the bed after finding she had not been missed.

"Tink's dildo! It's about time you got up." Jenks crossed his arms and kept close enough to the witch's face to make sure she couldn't fall asleep again. "I wasn't sure if you would still be alive after that much wine."

"Anyone else would be getting hit with a ley line right now." Even Rachel cringed after her comment came off a bit bitchy, but she really did not want to listen to twenty minutes of small talk before her partner actually said anything important.

"Sure Rache, like you could even hit the broad side of a barn." Jenks took in the lack of haphazard clothes lying on the floor and figured he wasn't the first roommate to enter the witch's room. "I was going to check you on earlier, but Ivy said you were just sleeping it off." Jenks had been surprised to find Ivy in the kitchen and being too polite for someone that hadn't gotten any the night before.

"Why would Ivy be home? She isn't hurt is she?" Rachel remembered Ivy specifically saying she would not be home and Ivy certainly looked like she had intended to stay out. In fact, Ivy looked great both times. The second time was a bit hazy, but Rachel remembered Ivy's hair being slightly out-of-place and those brown eyes turning onyx and the slits in the dress exposing more of the woman's legs after she ended up in Ivy's lap. Oh god. She had tried to seduce Ivy. Not good, very not good. "Crap on toast."

"What did you do Rache?" The pixy had watched Rachel down a couple of glasses of wine before getting all defensive, but he didn't think she would keep drinking or call Ivy.

Ivy had been at Rynn's mansion and then she asked her to come home and then had tried to seduce her best friend. Shit. "I don't remember. I must have passed out."

"So, you convinced a vamp with a ragging fanger for you to skip out on getting lucky and then passed out? Tink's titties, can't you even stay home without risking a visit to the emergency room witch?"

Ignoring the annoying and intrusive landlord help Rachel noticed she wasn't really dressed, but had ended up in her own bedroom. Somehow waking up half-naked, with Ivy's help, had become an almost normal event for her. She could smell their combined scents on her shirt and Rachel tried to avoid touching anything as she got up. "Have you tried talking to Ivy yet?"

"No. Why would I talk to Ivy? Last I checked she wasn't the one with a death wish by throwing herself at a vampire that has spent years wanting to leave bite marks in all sorts of fun places." Ivy would survive, even if Rachel made things miserable, but when it came to the witch it seemed like a daily struggle for Ivy not be miserable.

"Good. Now leave so I can get a shower." Having pulled some fresh clothes from the dresser Rachel made sure to ignore the argument Jenks tried to start. "Oh and don't call us, we'll call you."

"You've got one hour witch. After that, I want some answers."

The room went silent after that. If there was one time she didn't need Jenks to investigate a matter it was now. Would it really be asking that much from the universe for her personal problems to stay personal?

The first thing she had to deal with though was a shower. Then, fresh clothes and a trip to the west coast for a lobotomy. Certainly as a vegetable the odds of her causing any more damage would be minimal. After tossing her phone on her far less luxurious bed, Rachel left everything from the previous night in a pile on the floor and headed into the bathroom.

After a short shower, that had done nothing to relax her, Rachel walked down the hall. Dressed in a simple t-shirt, complimented by less simple skinny jeans and a tangerine perfume she hadn't worn before, seemed like a casual enough outfit. It wasn't like there was a section in the guide on what to wear after not sleeping with a vampire whose buttons she had pushed yet again, though it had several suggestions on appropriate attire for after what it called a successful night.

The coffee was perfect when Rachel found it, and Ivy, in the kitchen. The vamp didn't even blink at her presence as the computer screen held something of great interest to the woman. No big deal though, it was not as if Ivy usually said much to her after one of their awkward incidents anyway. Why should they say anything simply because she threw it herself at her roommate and there was enough tension in the room to snap a bridge?

It was a perfectly regular event for the two of them to stay in the kitchen together, usually, and it shouldn't matter that hours before the only thing separating her and Ivy was some fabric between their bodies and Ivy's iron will. Right. Nothing to see here, moving along.

"You shouldn't drink like that." Ivy found that even though her eyes never left her homepage she couldn't see anything except how peaceful Rachel looked as she finally settled into bed and the way she could swear the witch reached out for her before dragging a pillow over to her instead when she brought in a glass of water.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have called you." She certainly felt guilty enough to make the apology sound true, but getting her roommate away from Rynn still seemed like a good idea - even in the sobering light of day.

"It's fine. Just be more careful in the future." Ivy noticed the witch had made some effort to not set off her instincts, but that wasn't exactly going to erase the memory of those lips making promises she wanted Rachel so desperately keep.

"Yeah." Rachel stared at the mug of coffee, but the caffeinated substance had lost its appeal now that she actually had it in hand.

Ivy felt a familiar guilt creep up on her as Rachel begin retreating from the room, from her, as the mug made a slight sound against the counter. She didn't want to hear that Rachel regretted what she did, or to leave because of it, but the wound was too fresh to talk about it. "Are you going out?"

"Yeah, I forgot, but Ceri called last night and invited me over to see the girls for a while." Another lie, but her mere presence seemed to torture her roommate and she hadn't seen her god-daughter for a few weeks anyways. Rachel focused on Ivy's back and watched for a reaction that did not come. Ivy did not try to stop her, or talk to her, and Rachel headed back towards her room.

It would do some good to get out. Ceri had mentioned her absence a few times and she had a better chance of the elf providing a sympathetic ear than Jenks, or most of his brood, who had heard the same story far too times to care. Of course this time even Jenks seemed surprised and Ivy had not said a word to him after Rachel called her.

Rachel felt her head start to clear as her boots went on and the pieces started to fall into place. Despite the pain in her head, and her target being a stressed out vampire, she stomped back to the kitchen to start an argument. Ivy could have gotten Jenks and his brood look after her with an angry phone call. After all, she had left them on babysitting duty for a reason. "Why did you come home? Sure Wayde was gone, but I'd bet you weren't exactly on your way back from Rynn's were you?" The thought she might have interrupted a lengthy marathon session between Ivy and some blonde model looking chick with fangs in one of Rynn's backrooms flashed into existence before she could stop it the thought. Why Ivy would leave _that _just to deal with her? It didn't make any sense.

"I always come back and I told you I wasn't going to leave when we were in San Francisco." Ivy kept her eyes on the screen. That trip had broken her heart and why being tortured by a demon were memories she could live without, what haunted her nightmare's was Rachel. She revealed everything to the witch, wanted a clean break, but that desperation as Rachel pursued her in the immediate moments that followed wouldn't let go, even if the redhead seemed to afterward.

"Not that early you don't. When was the last time you were even here between midnight and eight except to work on a run? It seems like I'm the only one that remembers we were friends Ivy."

"Three nights ago, after my run, I came back early. Only you weren't alone. You were leaving with Vivian and didn't seem to miss my presence at all." The coven witch had shown back up in the Hollows after the new council became concerned about hate crimes and Ivy found she truly disliked the woman who had once damn near killed her.

"That was one night, for work, and I didn't know you were coming home. That doesn't change that you've been avoiding me for months." Rachel enjoyed having another witch around her again and the new coven leaders seemed to grudgingly accept her continued existence in turn, but given that Vivian she was truly terrified of Ivy she generally only showed up when the vampire was out.

"Well, now you've got her around to keep you company. Never mind that she'll probably sell you out to the coven before the month is out." Ivy moved, slowly, towards the kitchen window to let air into the church. "I don't know why you did not send her back to San Francisco the moment she showed up."

"She tried to help Ivy and besides there aren't a lot of ley line witches around here that are willing to hire a demon." The jobs mostly involved Jenks helping out Vivian with some witches that were cheating on their taxes and her waiting around in the car, but it involved free coffee and she liked spending time with the woman.

"That is not the sort of escort job she has in mind for you Rachel." Ivy had picked up on the attraction during the poorly conceived road trip and it had not seemed to diminish over time.

"Not everyone who is loyal wants to have sex with someone Ivy. Sometimes people are just nice." Rachel barely noticed the complete lack of personal space between them and Ivy smiled at her, full on fangs, ear to ear, smiled.

"Maybe, but I guarantee if you told her to get a room for the night she would have a reservation faster than Trent gets out of jail." Ivy studied the redhead. The woman looked truly pissed off, but under that, beneath the irritation, there was something lingering, something Rachel had not yet hidden away. "And I guarantee you would like it."

"Go turn yourself Ivy." Rachel stared back at Ivy, expecting something. Maybe not for the vampire to recoil and cover her heart dramatically, but a flinch, or a nervous glance at the door, anything to show the vampire understood. Instead the woman moved closer and yet Rachel noticed her scars barely reacted.

"Been there dear heart. Just know the difference is that she will never make your blood boil and scream out for just a little bit more." The air in the kitchen was starting to get to her, but that was nothing compared to Rachel's refusal to give in. It was the challenge that made her start hunting the woman in the first place. She had been so very eager to see where things would go when she pushed the witch, just like she was now.

"About that." Damn it. When did her voice get all husky? Stupid, sexy ass, vampire just had to change the topic. "You wanted me when I was an earth witch, barely able to create a circle, wanted us side by side as I learned just what I was capable of. I finally start understanding what I'm and you suddenly don't want me anymore? Explain that." If Ivy feared she was beyond even what a living vampire could keep pace with the bracelet should have solved that problem the moment it went around her wrist, but for all those months her roommate did nothing and nothing really changed after it came off either. Ivy had been the one making excuses that kept them apart since they had survived their West Coat vacation and she was done letting the woman get away with it.

"I wore out the message feature on my shower head and took that as a sign dear heart." Ivy leaned in, nearly brushing her lips against Rachel's, before she pulled back. Ivy expected that would bring an end to their conversation and delay the next one for several days and took some satisfaction in that even as her body ached with an unrelieved pressure. The witch liked to push buttons as long as she did not have to think about the aftermath.

Rachel felt her will falter, pushing her to act before Ivy could kiss her. No, she wouldn't give the smug vampire that pleasure. Instead, she kissed Ivy. More of a peck really. She felt Ivy stop, but after a few seconds, as the woman pulled back, Rachel connected them together. It had been intended as the exclamation point on her victory. That she had stood toe to toe with Ivy and the vamp blinked. Instead the victory slipped and she slowly placed her lips against Ivy's again and as Ivy moved against her, Rachel smiled at sudden thoughts of finishing what they had started the night before.

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**Sorry the delay in getting this finished, but I wasn't satisfied with what I had written after reading it over again and today was the first break I had from work in order to edit it. The third chapter is already about halfway complete and haven't had to rewrite it (yet) so that's a good sign. Thank you to all who have set a follow alert and added this story to their favorites list. To my guest reviewer who will not sign their name, thus preventing me from pestering them with a direct reply via private message, I'm glad I can contribute something to our poor fandom as Ravy is meant to be - even if KH refuses to acknowledge it any more. **


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